This invention pertains to an automatic swinging and locking boom arm to be attached to a moving vehicle. More particularly, the invention pertains to a boom arm and method for swinging the boom arm of a spray apparatus which is attached to the front or the back of a moving vehicle, from one side of the vehicle to the other side of the vehicle, and a locking mechanism for locking the pivoting boom arm in place on one or the other side of the vehicle.
The spray apparatus is generally used for the application of herbicides along roadways, ditches, and utility rights-of-way, to control growth of weeds and grasses. Mechanized mobile spray apparatus, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,602, are designed and used primarily for the application of chemical herbicides on the area between the shoulder of the highway and the edge of the highway right-of-way.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,602, the pivoting boom arm of the spraying apparatus can be pivoted 180.degree. from one side of the vehicle to the other. The spraying apparatus in that patent is provided with a manually operated pivoting means and a manually operated locking means for locking the boom arm in position on either side of the supporting frame. The manual pivoting and locking of the boom arm of the spraying apparatus on the right or the left side of the vehicle is tedious, time consuming, and exposes the operator to herbicides through manual contact with the herbicides necessarily adherent to the apparatus.
Accordingly, a need has arisen for a pivoting and locking device which will automatically pivot a boom arm from one position to a second position and an automatic locking device for locking a boom arm in more than one fixed position.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for automatically pivoting a boom arm of a spray apparatus or other similar apparatus from a first position to a second position about a central pivotal axis.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking means for locking a pivoting boom arm in more than one fixed position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for positioning and locking a boom arm in a chosen pivotal position, such that both the positioning and locking can be performed remotely by an operator from within a spray vehicle.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become evident in light of the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the referenced drawing of a preferred exemplary instrument according to the present invention.